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据 Decrypt 报道，由高盛和贝莱德前员工创立的纽约初创公司 Birch Hill 已完成 400 万美元种子轮融资，由 Multicoin Capital 领投，ParaFi Capital、Castle Island Ventures 和 Nascent 参投，公司累计融资额达 650 万美元。Birch Hill 计划在美国监管框架下，将美国公寓、农场和能源贷款上链，其 Enterprise 部门已向 FINRA 申请经纪自营商会员资格。
According to Yonhap News Agency, Rick Reed, Global Fixed Income Chief Investment Officer at BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, stated that the recent scale of debt financing for AI infrastructure expansion is unprecedented, with related bonds offering greater appeal than US long-term Treasuries. In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Oct. 27, Reed noted that the magnitude of financing in bond and equity markets is unprecedented, describing the current environment as the most attractive investment period he has experienced. He highlighted a focus on high-quality bonds issued to finance GPUs, data centers, and other AI infrastructure, adding that the massive scale of new corporate issuance has made interest rate conditions superior to past years. He pointed out that while the US 10-year Treasury yield has exceeded 5%, it has been sidelined by other market instruments, with Treasuries increasingly viewed merely as a "market barometer" for equities. Investors can secure yields of roughly 7% by purchasing short-duration, single-A bonds, effectively avoiding the duration risk associated with long-dated Treasuries. He also expressed a preference for secured bonds issued by creditworthy corporates or cash-flow-generating assets, while maintaining that valuations in the semiconductor and computing sectors remain reasonably priced. Hyperscale data center operators are currently issuing the largest volume of corporate debt in history, raising hundreds of billions of dollars and absorbing capital that would otherwise flow into government bonds, thereby becoming one of the primary drivers pushing up US Treasury yields. Globally, AI-related high-quality financing has already surpassed $300 billion this year, roughly triple the total for all of last year.
Odaily News: The BlackRock Investment Institute recently adjusted its US asset allocation, upgrading short-term US Treasuries to overweight, raising long-term US Treasuries from underweight to neutral, ending its nearly six-year underweight stance on US Treasuries. At the same time, the institute downgraded US equities from overweight to neutral and lowered its rating on US agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS).BlackRock stated that with US Treasury yields rising to their highest levels in more than two decades, current yields have become attractive, and market expectations for further Federal Reserve rate hikes may be excessively high. Currently, the interest rate swaps market reflects expectations of at least 75 basis points of rate hikes over the next 12 months.Regarding the downgrade of US equities, BlackRock pointed out that capital expenditure and financing needs driven by AI infrastructure buildout are increasing, which could exacerbate short-term volatility in US equities. However, the institute emphasized that this adjustment is aimed at managing near-term risks and does not mean a change in its core long-term bullish view on AI. (Jinshi)
Odaily News: Vest Labs has announced the completion of a $13 million seed round led by Portal Ventures, with participation from executives of Citadel Securities, BlackRock, and KKR investing in their personal capacities. The company did not disclose its post-funding valuation. Vest Labs primarily provides eligible traders with the ability to trade perpetual contracts around the clock in real markets using the company's capital, with traders allowed to keep up to 80% of profits. The funding will be used to develop a mobile app, expand the current 22-person team, and increase the variety of assets available for round-the-clock trading. As of late September, approximately 26% of the platform's roughly 27,000 traders had received cash payouts, with monthly active traders and trading volume both growing over 300% month-over-month.
According to The Block, New York-based stablecoin payment and tokenized asset company HIFI has announced the completion of a $37 million Series A financing round led by Left Lane Capital. Proceeds from the funding will be used to expand its tokenized capital market infrastructure and product lines. HIFI provides API infrastructure that integrates fund flows, compliance, and settlement capabilities, currently processing over $7 billion annually across 87 countries. Prior to this round, HIFI participated in a tokenized securities production trade co-hosted by DTCC, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Nasdaq in July. Later this month, it partnered with Visa to extend its stablecoin settlement platform to remittance and card payment scenarios, initially supporting stablecoin settlements for more than 4 billion Visa cards globally.
According to Bloomberg, as investment in AI infrastructure continues to intensify, data center developers are attracting an increasing number of "junk bond" investors to financing deals, even though some of the bonds themselves have already achieved investment-grade ratings. For example, data center operator QTS Realty Trust issued $3.9 billion in bonds this week to fund data center construction for its Microsoft-related projects. Although this issuance received investment-grade ratings, its yield stands at approximately 7.23%, exceeding the returns typically offered by some medium-grade junk bonds. Additionally, BlackRock also issued high-grade bonds in July for its data center project in Texas, with a yield of 7.53%.
Odaily News: Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev stated that asset tokenization will become a major trend in the future financial markets and will ultimately transform the entire global financial system. In an interview with CNBC's Squawk Box, Tenev said that tokenization applies not only to crypto assets but will also cover traditional financial assets such as stocks, private equity, and real estate. Blockchain technology can improve asset trading efficiency, reduce intermediary costs, and give more investors access to market opportunities that were previously difficult to participate in. Tenev also discussed future financial service directions such as prediction markets and agentic trading. He stated that Robinhood is transitioning from a pure trading platform to a broader financial infrastructure provider, and hopes to leverage blockchain technology to drive the development of the next generation of capital markets."Tokenization will consume the entire financial system." Tenev previously stated that the tokenization trend is like a high-speed train that cannot be stopped, and future financial assets may gradually migrate to operate on-chain.Robinhood has been advancing its tokenization strategy in recent years, including exploring the tokenization of private company equity to give retail investors access to private markets traditionally dominated by institutions. Tenev believes there is strong consumer demand for private asset investment, and tokenization can serve as an important bridge connecting traditional finance with crypto infrastructure. Bloomberg also reported that.Industry insiders believe that as financial institutions such as BlackRock and Robinhood accelerate their deployment in real world asset (RWA) tokenization, traditional stocks, bonds, funds, and other financial assets moving on-chain are becoming a significant trend in the fintech sector. However, regulatory frameworks, asset ownership confirmation, and investor protection remain key challenges that need to be addressed for large-scale adoption. (CNBC)
Odaily News According to Gate Ventures' latest weekly report, global risk assets have shown a clear recovery over the past week, with major US stock indices collectively hitting new all-time highs. The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.58%, 5.19%, and 2.96%, respectively. The crypto market also rebounded in tandem, with BTC up 2.1% on the week and ETH up 1.4%, bringing the total cryptocurrency market cap up 1.4%. On the capital flows front, BTC spot ETFs recorded net inflows of $853 million for the week, while ETH spot ETFs saw net inflows of $244.9 million, indicating further improvement in institutional demand.In terms of industry developments, the integration of traditional finance and blockchain continues to advance. BlackRock has appointed JPMorgan to push forward the tokenization of a European money market fund, exploring 24/7 transfer of blockchain-based fund shares. Grayscale has filed an S-1 registration statement for the first US Worldcoin ETF, further deepening the connection between digital assets and traditional financial markets. Stablecoin infrastructure also remained active, with Yellow Card completing a $40 million strategic funding round and planning to expand its stablecoin account and payment infrastructure into Latin America and the Asia-Pacific markets.On the investment and financing front, eight deals were completed last week, with total disclosed funding reaching $90.64 million, focused on the infrastructure track. Overall, market risk appetite has seen some recovery, with institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure, stablecoins, and asset tokenization remaining key areas of continued industry focus.
Odaily News Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that the company has partnered with Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to establish an independent financing platform, planning to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital over the long term to support AI infrastructure development.Huang stated that the AI industry is transitioning from a phase where "enterprises purchase chips and build data centers project by project" to a new stage where AI factories serve as financeable productive infrastructure. AI computing power is becoming an investable asset, characterized by long-term institutional capital support, repeatable construction, and usage by diverse customers.Nvidia noted that AI factories encompass not only GPUs but also high-speed networking, system software, AI frameworks, and the CUDA ecosystem. Built on globally widely adopted architectures, AI factories can serve different customers, cloud providers, and application scenarios, while possessing strong asset liquidity and residual value.In this collaboration, Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR will independently evaluate specific projects, including customer demand, compute utilization, cash flow, and asset value. Nvidia will provide the AI factory platform, while the financial institutions will handle long-term capital and financing capabilities.Huang indicated that in some projects, Nvidia may provide up to 25% residual value support, but this will be prudently assessed on a project-by-project basis. The mechanism is designed to supplement, not replace, the independent judgment of institutional investors.He believes that AI factories will become the "infrastructure of the intelligent era," much like how electricity, transportation, and communication infrastructure drove past industrial revolutions. Going forward, growing demand for AI computing will create a virtuous cycle where "more compute drives stronger AI, stronger AI generates more revenue, and more revenue further fuels compute demand."
According to CNBC, Nvidia has signed a memorandum of understanding with Apollo Global Management, Blackstone, BlackRock, Brookfield Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to jointly establish a financing platform for Nvidia customers, aiming to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital for hyperscale data center construction and Nvidia hardware procurement. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang characterized this as the first time AI chips have become an "investable asset class," stating they possess revenue-generating capabilities, long service lives, and can be transferred across customers, while analogizing compute infrastructure to electricity and the internet. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink defined the project as the "next future of financial engineering" following the securitization of mortgages in the 1970s, and stated that more funds would be raised as soon as possible. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon revealed that this collaboration was initiated by Jensen Huang. Currently, some funds have already been raised; the parties will provide financing support for GPUs and data centers through institutional credit, insurance capital, and private capital, helping end users complete AI infrastructure construction without tapping their own balance sheets.
Meta Platforms (META.O) posted record revenue in the second fiscal quarter, but updates on its AI spending plan sparked investor concerns about the costs of building its infrastructure. Meta slightly raised the lower end of its annual capital expenditure guidance from $125 billion to $130 billion, while keeping the upper end unchanged at $145 billion. Its second-quarter revenue was $60.8 billion, up 28% year-over-year, but net profit was $15.8 billion, below analyst expectations. As a result, Meta's stock fell over 6% in after-hours trading. In an effort to catch up in the AI race, Meta has already invested tens of billions of dollars in chip procurement, data center construction, and top talent recruitment. Recently, it partnered with BlackRock to raise at least $12 billion to build a data center in Texas. Meta's free cash flow in the second quarter was $784 million. (Jin Shi)
According to people familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal, BlackRock is leading a debt financing deal of at least $12 billion to fund a large-scale data center project in El Paso, Texas, jointly supported by BlackRock and Meta Platforms.
According to CoinDesk, crypto infrastructure firm Zerohash is seeking new funding at a valuation exceeding $1.5 billion. This comes after Mastercard abandoned its investment plans for Zerohash following its $1.8 billion acquisition of UK-based stablecoin infrastructure company BVNK. Founded in 2017, Zerohash provides APIs and embedded development tools to financial institutions and fintech companies, enabling support for cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized products. The company now serves over 5 million users across 190 countries, with clients including Morgan Stanley, Stripe, Interactive Brokers, BlackRock’s BUIDL Fund, and Franklin Templeton. In September 2025, Zerohash closed its $104 million Series D-2 round, valuing the company at $1 billion at that time.
Odaily. Bernstein stated in its latest research report that the newly reached compromise on stablecoin yields under the U.S. CLARITY Act is structurally beneficial for Circle and the USDC ecosystem.The report notes that the current version of the bill prohibits stablecoin issuers from paying interest to passive holders that is "economically equivalent" to bank deposits, but allows reward mechanisms tied to actual transaction, payment, and usage activities to continue. Bernstein believes this means Circle's current model, which relies on partners like Coinbase to provide USDC reward programs, will gain regulatory recognition, while also limiting the industry's ability to compete for market share through high yields.Bernstein points out that the bill effectively reinforces the positioning of stablecoins as "payment tools" rather than "deposit substitutes," helping to protect Circle's current business model that relies on reserve income. The firm maintains an "Outperform" rating for Circle with a $190 target price.Data shows that the total global supply of dollar-pegged stablecoins has surpassed $300 billion, with USDT and USDC collectively accounting for approximately 97% of the market share. Bernstein notes that USDC's share in on-chain payments and wallet transfers is steadily increasing, and its share of payments in the AI Agent payment protocol x402 has exceeded 99%.Additionally, Bernstein mentioned that Circle's ARC chain has cumulatively completed 244 million testnet transactions. The ARC token pre-sale previously raised $222 million, with investors including a16z crypto, Apollo Funds, ARK Invest, and BlackRock.However, the report also points out that the CLARITY Act still needs to complete multiple legislative procedures before it takes effect, including a 60-vote threshold in the full Senate and coordination with the House version. Polymarket currently estimates its probability of passage by 2026 at approximately 62%. (The Block)
Sharplink CEO Joseph Chalom stated that Ethereum treasury companies are gradually deviating from the model of Strategy and Michael Saylor, focusing more on staking yields and a clean balance sheet rather than relying on complex financing structures.Chalom believes that Ethereum treasury companies can generate returns directly by holding ETH, thus eliminating the need for excessive leverage. He also indicated that only a few Ethereum treasury companies will be able to survive through market downturns.Furthermore, citing BlackRock CEO Larry Fink's previous views, he described Ethereum as a "tokenized toll road" and pointed out that the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq's push for 24-hour trading plans, DTCC's exploration of tokenized collateral, and Bullish's acquisition of Equiniti will all further drive tokenized assets into the traditional financial system.Chalom expects that as stablecoins, tokenized assets, DeFi, and AI applications continue to expand, Ethereum will gradually forge a different development path from Bitcoin in the future. (The Block)
According to The Block, Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, noted that three enterprise-grade blockchains—Arc (by Circle), Canton Network, and Tempo (by Stripe)—have collectively raised over $1 billion in funding recently. All three funding rounds occurred after the signing of the GENIUS Act in July 2025. Hougan believes this legislation broke a prior regulatory stalemate that had discouraged institutional capital from entering the space. Hougan identified three key signals: First, all three blockchains prioritize native privacy-preserving transactions as a core design feature, addressing institutions’ need for transaction confidentiality. Second, the implementation of the GENIUS Act has significantly reduced regulatory uncertainty; the next critical variable is the pending Clarity Act, from which stablecoins and tokenization infrastructure stand to benefit. Third, these blockchains are backed by top-tier institutions—including Goldman Sachs, Citadel, BlackRock, Stripe, and Visa—marking a stark contrast to Ethereum and Solana, which emerged from grassroots origins. Hougan stated that his firm’s capital remains primarily allocated to native crypto projects, and he believes these emerging enterprise chains will raise the overall competitive bar and attract additional capital inflows.
Odaily News New Fire Technology (1611.HK) announced on April 22 that it will acquire the investment team and trading system of Li Lin's family office, Avenir Group, for $1.6 million. Following the acquisition, New Fire Technology plans to launch a Bitcoin-denominated asset management service named Alpha BTC, aiming to attract investments exceeding 10,000 Bitcoins within a year, valued at approximately $760 million. The strategy will generate returns through derivative trading such as options, using Bitcoin or the IBIT ETF as underlying assets. Target clients include crypto-native investors and local Hong Kong enterprises. As of the end of 2025, Avenir Group held 18.3 million shares of BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust, valued at $908 million.
Odaily Jeff Bezos is close to completing a $10 billion financing round, valuing his laboratory at $38 billion. The lab focuses on developing artificial intelligence technology capable of understanding the physical world and transforming engineering and manufacturing.According to informed sources, the company, codenamed "Project Prometheus," plans to finalize a funding round soon, with a valuation reaching $38 billion including the newly injected capital. The sources added that this agreement will position the company as one of the world's most well-funded early-stage startups, which includes an initial $6.2 billion raised in November. However, due to strong market demand, the financing scale has been further expanded. One source revealed that JPMorgan and BlackRock are among the participants in this new round of investment. (Financial Times)